Cooke was traveling west on U.S. Highway 160 toward Cortez when a deer darted in front of her near Hesperus, said Capt. Adrian Driscoll, with the Colorado State Patrol.
Cooke, who was not wearing a helmet, died at the scene, he said.
Cooke lived in Cortez before moving to South Dakota. and just recently moved back to Cortez, Driscoll said.
She was driving a 2013 Harley-Davidson registered out of South Dakota.
The crash occurred about 8:30 p.m. at mile post 72.9, just east of the intersection with La Plata Highway (Colorado Highway 140).
Highway 160 remained opened, although westbound traffic was diverted to one of the eastbound lanes.
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